This cast describes a simple verbal tool for addressing tension, conflict or other ineffective emotions in the workplace.

Mark has finally gotten around to writing this cast down! Every time Mark teaches this technique to an executive or manager, he turns to Mike and says, "we gotta make this a cast." And then he doesn't. When you see this work the first time, you'll be surprised. In almost any situation, you'll see a noticeable lessening of the tension. You'll probably also feel better at moving forward PAST the frustration or difficulties that are being discussed. When you use this with your directs, it often helps begin the process of solution finding.

And to our good friend Rich Ruh, who told Mark this past week at our San Antonio conference that after reading Peter Drucker he was more comfortable around Mark because he realized all these great ideas weren't Mark's alone . . . Mark didn't make this one up either. ;-)

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This cast describes the second part in our series how to think about being persuasive in a presentation.

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This cast describes how to think about being persuasive in a presentation.

One of the most maligned arts in professional life today is persuasion. The classic case of persuasion falling out of favor is how often professional sales people are viewed as golfers with big expense accounts. Or, perhaps even more perniciously, why is it that all of the sales roles in technology firms are called "Business Development"? Sales is associated with persuasion, and that taint keeps far too many managers from embracing the real value of persuasion.

But we all know that we have to do it, right? Admit it: you know that you're going to be called upon to persuade others. Just because you wish you could just MAKE people do what you want, or that they would "just see it my way!" doesn't change the fact that every manager is expected to be persuasive.

Here's how to begin to think about it.

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This cast describes how to leave an effective voicemail.

If you've ever gotten a voicemail which sounded like, "[your name], this is [their name], call me," you know why we're doing this cast.

Phone manners have been steadily decreasing for decades. When boys used to call for Mark's daughter Kate, they would slouch verbally through, "Is Kate there?" and Mark would answer, "Yes," and hang up. He safely assumed that any person who asked that question was a boy, and not enough of a gentleman to be allowed to speak with her. (At first she rolled her eyes, but later she liked the hurdle that Mark's demand created: those boys that never got it ended up being...well, boys.)

What about at work? The "Bob this is Joe call me" is only one example. It ranks right up there with "saw that you called, what's up?" answered with, "did you, errrrr...listen to my voicemail?"

In this cast, we have recommendations for how to leave a voicemail. We think of this as the first cast on phone skills...out of several hundred to come.

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In this cast, we describe how to be effective in everyday conversations.

We've spent a great deal of time on managerial communications, and for good reason. Managers rely on communication to achieve the very basic requirement of their role: aligning and inspiring others to achieve more than they could do on their own. As a former boss of mine was fond of saying, "you may be smarter than me, but you're not smarter than WE."

But, there are a lot of different kinds of communication. We've talked about meetings, and feedback, and coaching, and late stage coaching, and delivering reviews...and there are hundreds more.

Including plain old conversations.

Conversations are our most FREQUENTLY used verbal communication form, aren't they? So why does everyone want to know the right way to do all those other managerial communications — like feedback: "do I REALLY have to say FEEDBACK?!?" — but nobody seems to ask about conversations?

In this cast, we'll share the MOST VALUABLE CONVERSATIONAL COMMUNICATION TOOL you'll ever learn (that your mom didn't teach you).

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This week, we conclude our conversation on effective teleconferencing.

Both this week and last week, we make reference to our Effective Meetings podcast. If you haven't listened to that show, we recommend highly that you do. All the recommendations we make there apply to teleconferences as well ... I mean, you did get our point that teleconferences are meetings and not briefings, yes?

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This casts lays out our recommendations for an Effective Teleconference Meeting, or Conference Call.

We've been asked many times for this cast, and had intended to deliver it much earlier, but it kept getting pushed back. Teleconferences, or meetings conducted as conference calls, are much more widely used today than 20 years ago. Cost used to be an issue, but with costs moot, those very same savings have caused organizational dispersion that drive the teleconference's ubiquity.

We are appalled at much of the guidance we hear.

This week, we conclude our discussion on managing through a personal crisis. Last week, we discussed the preparation; this week, we discuss ACTIONS.

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This cast gives managers specific steps to take when dealing with a personal crisis of a direct report.

Mark once heard a manager say that when one of his directs started crying, he simply "gave them some tissue and walked out." Even though he prided himself on being a tough-minded, results oriented, very successful manager, at some level he knew that his response was too callous, too cold. When Mark looked at him, mouth agape, he immediately backpedaled and said something to the effect of, "well, I'm giving them space...I don't want them to be embarrassed . . . I appreciate their need for privacy . . . I didn't want them thinking I was evaluating them right then."

All delivered with that delicate edge of panic that comes from defending the indefensible. Your directs have lives outside of work, and as often as you will ask them to stay late, to do more, to answer emails on the weekend . . . every once in a while, THEIR lives are going to herniate into YOUR work.

What do you do as a manager when one of your team has a crisis? When their spouse is hurt or hospitalized? When their house burns down? When someone's parent passes away?

We'll tell you in this cast.

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Today, we complete our discussion on Body Odor.

One of our more controversial topics, to be sure ... but folks, we don't make this stuff up! The issue arises in offices all across the world every day. And since it doesn't seem like anyone else wants to talk about it, we will!

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